1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a protective material having a multilayer ceramic structure. The field of application particularly concerns materials for the protection of machines or personnel against projectiles.
2. Background of the Invention.
The use of ceramics in protective materials is well established. These materials make it possible to achieve better ballistic performance from projectiles at speeds in excess of 500 m/s. This is due to the fact that sintered ceramics, such as alumina, boron carbide and silicon carbide, have virtually zero porosity, as well as the hardness and compression resistance properties needed to break up the core of a projectile.
However, these sintered ceramics are very fragile to shocks, with the result that a sintered ceramic plate becomes broken right after the first projectile impact To limit the destructive effects of the impact, protective materials are generally formed from sintered ceramic tiles or plates that are adhered to each other and affixed to a base arrangement. The latter is usually made from fabric layers e.g. made of aramide fibers, such as "Kevlar" fibers that form a penetration resistant arrangement which deforms to absorb the residual kinetic energy of the projectile broken by the ceramic frontal layer.